VIDEO: 14 foot tiger shark, Lavern, filmed off Kona

KONA, Hawaii – Lavern, a 14 foot long tiger shark who is a well known fixture in the waters around the entrance to Kona’s Honokohau Harbor, was caught on camera during an underwater dive recently.

Mark Devenot, who has posted a few of his underwater adventures to YouTube recently, recorded the shark as it swam by. The mere presence of the leviathan seemed to put an end to the ocean frolicking that was occurring through-out the 4 and a half minute video.

For those who watch, don’t expect to see the shark until the very end, and only briefly.

The title of the video suggests that the crew was on the lookout for Lavern the whole time. During the film, the divers sometimes stop to scan the distance, perhaps trying to see if Lavern will materialize from the depths.

Dive companion Andrew Cooper, who operates Darker View, a popular Hawaii-based astronomy blog, was not with Mark and the crew when the encounter happened, but seemed excited to report, “They came back with a fish tale and the video to prove it!”

Cooper also said that Lavern is “easily identified from the messed up dorsal fin,” and added that “Lavern has not eaten a diver… Yet.”